The 2014 Delaware State Fair is reporting a strong comeback this year thanks to good weather, a robust concert lineup and a new multi-day discount pass.
A series of dry days and cool nights helped fuel a 25 percent rise in attendance. Nearly 282,000fairgoers showed up for the 95th celebration of Delaware's agricultural industry.
"Even the old-timers here at the Fair when asked, couldn’t remember such an extended string of mild, dry days and cool nights," General Manager Bill DiMondi said in a statement released Wednesday.
Concerts from Lady Antebellum and Brantley Gilbert both sold out while Keith Urban's appearance neared capacity at the fair's M&T Bank Grandstand.
Fair officials also credit a mix of old and new offerings for this year’s success - including an additional night of demolition derby and a center featuring live animal birth
They also noted an almost 150 percent rise in participation the Homebrew beer competition and a record breaking Junior Livestock auction that brought in almost 202 thousand dollars - up 10 percent from a year ago.
This year’s success comes after a slump last year when excessive heat and a weak concert lineup were blamed for a ten percent drop in overall sales.
"We were so lucky. This year’s 95th running of the Delaware State Fair has got to go down in the record books as the best Fair in recent memory,” said DiMondi.
